By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

AMES, Iowa — As part of the annual celebration of National Ag Week and Ag Day, the Agriculture Council of America (ACA) calls on seventh- to-12th-grade students to submit an original, 450-word essay on the importance of American agriculture to be judged for ACA’s annual ag essay contest.

Teachers and parents are asked to encourage students, sons and daughters to enter the contest, which offers a $1,000 grand prize to the national winner along with a round-trip ticket to Washington, D.C. to be honored during the Celebration of Agriculture Dinner at the USDA’s Whitten Patio.

“The theme this year, ‘American Agriculture – Abundant, Affordable, Amazing,’ served as a great topic for students to write about the many ways agriculture truly benefits America,” said Linda Tank, vice president for CHS, Inc., a sponsor of the annual essay contest. “We always look forward to seeing the students’ opinions and ideas about American agriculture.”

A 12th grader from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Christine Vanek, was named national winner of the contest and will be honored in Washington, D.C. this week as part of Ag Week and Ag Day celebrations. 

Dr. John Bonner of the Council for Agricultural Sciences and Technology (CAST) said Vanek will be invited to a number of events to be held Thursday, March 18, culminating in the dinner ceremony.
“The winner will join 4-H and FFA youth leaders from around the country to hear Agriculture Secretary (Tom) Vilsack speak during a noon luncheon at the Capitol Center with legislators. During the Celebration of Ag dinner, we will host a major speaker from the House or Senate Ag Committees before bringing forth the essay winner,” said Bonner. “The $1,000 check will be presented by (noted ag broadcaster) Orion Samuelson.”

A panel of judges assembled by the National Agricultural Marketing Assoc. picks the national essay contest winner, Bonner said, adding that typical winning essays express a “vision of what agriculture is or could be. It’s usually a vision of a young mind that is free from encumbrances, which is really good to see.”

Vanek, who attends Greenhills School in Ann Arbor, was scheduled to read her essay to industry representatives, media and others at the Celebration of Ag dinner on Thursday.

“Vanek’s essay expresses how agriculture has been an integral part of her life,” said Tank. The following is an excerpt from Vanek’s essay:

“At seventeen, I have come to admire the work my grandfather and all American farmers do. It is thanks to the abundance of American agriculture – from the corn, soybean and wheat fields of the Great Plains to the expansive fruit orchards in the South – that I, along with the rest of the country, have access to a wide variety of affordable, safe, nutritious foods.”  

Hannah Ketring, a home-schooled 12th-grader from Flanagan, was named the Illinois state winner of the essay contest. Ketring’s paper focused on the fact that although only two percent or less of the U.S. population are farmers, the agriculture industry produces seven times more food than in the past, when more Americans worked on more farms.

“In addition, American agriculture is viable and affordable, especially when compared with that of other countries. Continued ingenuity and progress by resourceful farmers, as well as stable demand have caused an overall sustainable market resulting in food that is reasonably priced and competitive on a global scale,” Ketring wrote.

Other state essay contest winners from Farm World’s circulation area are Tyler Jones of Indiana, Michelle Wehrly of Kentucky, Taylor Brown of Tennessee and Tailer Hensley of Ohio.
Each state essay contest winner received a $100 prize.

The Ag Day essay contest is sponsored by CHS, Inc., CAST, High Plains Journal, National Assoc. of Farm Broadcasting, National Agri-Marketing Assoc., Country Living Assoc. and McCormick Co.